Summary
Purpose
Spasmodic dysphonia (SD) is a rare but often debilitating disease. Due to lack of
awareness among practitioners and lack of well-defined diagnostic criteria, it can
be difficult for patients with SD to receive a diagnosis and subsequent treatment.
There is currently no literature documenting the efficacy of the medical community
in recognizing and diagnosing this disorder. We aimed to quantify the patients' experiences
with obtaining a diagnosis of SD.
Methods
One hundred seven consecutive patients with SD completed questionnaires about their
experiences with SD. Patients were recruited either during outpatient laryngology
visits or during participation in a National Institutes of Health funded study investigating
SD.
Results
It took patients an average of 4.43 years (53.21 months) to be diagnosed with SD after
first going to a physician with vocal symptoms. Patients had to see an average of
3.95 physicians to receive a diagnosis of SD. Patients (31.4%) had been prescribed
medications other than botulinum toxin to treat their symptoms. Patients (30%) attempted
alternative therapies for treatment of SD, such as chiropractor or dietary modification.
Conclusions
Despite advances in diagnostic modalities in medicine, the diagnosis of SD still remains
elusive. Objective criteria for the diagnosis of SD and increased clinician education
are warranted to address this diagnostic delay.
Key Words
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References
- Research priorities in spasmodic dysphonia.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2008; 139 (Review): 495-505
- Risk factors and demographics in patients with spasmodic dysphonia.Laryngoscope. 2002; 112: 220-223
- Consideration of genetic contributions to the risk for spasmodic dysphonia.Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2011; 14: 369-370
- Prevalence of cervical dystonia and spasmodic torticollis in the United States general population.Parkinsonism Relat Disord. 2007; 13: 411-416
- Epidemiology, clinical presentation, and diagnosis of cervical dystonia.Neurol Clin. 2008; 26 (Review): 23-42
Article info
Publication history
Published online: April 11, 2015
Accepted:
October 29,
2013
Identification
Copyright
© 2015 The Voice Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
